symonds



2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

T. SYMND S.

Dredging-Backus.

N0 \50,373, Patented April 28,1874.

2 shwrs-#Sheer 2.

T. sYMoNns. Dredging-Buckets.

m m. Mw

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS SYMONDS, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN DREDG|NG'BUCKETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,373, dated April 28, 1874; application filed Aprn 3, 1814.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS SrMoNns, of Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dredging- Buckets, of which the following is a specification:

The object of this invention is to produce ,a dredging bucket or apparatus more especially adapted to light dredging, and when it is desired to dredge only for light objects; and it consists in a pivoted or vibrating beam, to the center of which the loweringchain is connected, and the opening aud closing chains to the outer ends thereof. The shaft or spool, with the large and small pulleys or sheaves, is suspended from the ends ot' said beam, and in such a manner that, when the t-wo jaws of the bucket are wide open, the upper and lower ends of the chains are in a perfectlystraight line with the diameter of the small pulleys, to which they are firmly secured. '.lliis invention also consists in making the eyes through which the poles pass separate from the cross -head, and se curing them by a pin thereto, so that they can be easily and readily connected and disconnected. The object of this is that the dili'erent parts may be easily connected and disconnected, besides being much cheaper to make than any other now in use, and dispensing with collars.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l represents a front view of my dredging-bucket. Fig. 2 is a side view of it when closed. Fig. 3 is a side view of it when open. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the cross-head. Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the pulleys and guide.

In vthe drawing, A A are the two jaws, which may be of any desired form or shape 5 and they are pivoted to the shaft B, upon which lthey are held by theeyes of the poles on one side and pins a, and on the other side by the eyes C, to which the opening chains l) D are attached, and pins b. The levers E E', which are braced by braces e c, are connected at one end to the outer ends of the jaws by suitable studs and. pins, and at the other to the cross-head pins F. These pins are provided with an eye, f, through which the guide-poles G G pass, and connect with the shaft B by eyes on their ends. The pins F pass into the ends of the open cross-head h -on the inside, as shown in Fig. 4. To the center of the crosshead H a vibrating beam, I, is secured, having in its center an eye or hole,to which the hoisting and loweringchainK is attached. To the outer ends of this vibrat= ing beam the opening=chaius D D are con; nected, being attached to the upper and lower sides of the small pulleys L L', which are cast in one piece with the large pulley M, having only a hub between them. To the large pulley M the closing chain N is attached, by which the jaws are closed. The openingchains are just long venough to form a perfectly-straight line with the diameter of the small pulleys when open, as shown in Fig. 3 ;v and, when closed, they lap around these pulleys just one-half of the circumference, as best seen in Fig. 5.

To prevent any possibility of entanglin g or catching, and avoid friction, I have arranged a guide-pulley, 0, on the cross-head H.

By hanging the pulleys in the manner de scribed, the usual shaft and guides are entirely dispensed with, thereby obviating all friction, and a large amount of chain is saved.

The advantages of my present improvement are, great simplicity and cheapness of construction, and there is no possibilit-y of entangling the chains or any part connected therewith The different parts can be very easily and quickly connected and disconnected for transportation, &c.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The pivoted vibratin g beam, in combination with the cross-head and dredging-bucket, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the suspended pnll leys and chains with a vibrating beam and a dred gingbucket, in the manner shown, and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of j aws A, levers E, shaft B, pulleys L M, chains D K N, cross-head H, and vibrating beam I, all constructed substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of March, 1874.

THOMAS SYMONDS.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. WANSLEBEN, GEORGE C. FoBEs. 

